Does My Car Insurance Cover Wear and Tear?

Only some insurance companies help cover wear and tear maintenance and it is a separate policy outside of regular insurance required by law.

October 28, 2017 ·

by Jacquelyn Childs

When you get in a car accident or a natural disaster causes unexpected damage to your beloved car, it’s nice knowing your insurance company is there to help you out. It isn’t always just the finances, but knowing someone is there during the stressful time can be a priceless benefit.

However, not all the damage to our cars are caused by collisions or unexpected disasters. Our vehicles are machines with parts that eventually wear down or wear out completely. Things go wrong and need to be fixed or replaced. So what happens when your dependable car sputters to a stop and won’t restart or a warning light flashes on the dash?

Expected expenses vs wear and tear expenses

Unfortunately, the money might be coming out of your own pocket 100% for whatever is wrong with your vehicle. Normal insurance policies, such as the basic liability required by law or even more elaborate ones like collision or comprehensive, don’t cover regular maintenance or “wear and tear” related expenses.

We are expected to be able to pay for these as they are considered “expected expenses” in the insurance realm and insurance companies are technically there to help when the unexpected happens.

Of course, if you still have a warranty on the car or whatever part is malfunctioning, then you’re good to go. If your warranty has expired, there are other options you can consider ahead of time to help you out in times like these so you’re not alone.

Extended warranties are an option from various places that act just like your original warranty, covering repairs for certain parts of the car. These can go out several years past your factory warranty and be a big help when something goes wrong.

Also, some insurances companies like Progressive and Geico offer a “mechanical breakdown insurance” (MBI) or something of a similar name. It’s important to remember, however, that even these options won’t cover all regular wear and tear. Some items on your vehicle are just expected to wear out and be replaced by you, the car owner.

Other examples of insurance companies who offer some type of MBI include USAA which will only cover vehicles up to 10 years old and 115,000 miles or AAA which actually has no limit on the vehicle’s age or mileage and comes with many additional perks like car rental coverage and free battery replacement.

With so many different types of coverage on your vehicle from so many different companies out there, it can get confusing for the average driver. It becomes difficult to decide where you should invest your time and money to get the best insurance for your car and individual situation.